Ohio man, 18, accused of raping 15-year-old girl

Police: Act was in Cranberry

January 11, 2020Cranberry Local News

CRANBERRY TWP — A Poland, Ohio, man is in Butler County Prison after police said he traveled to the township and raped a 15-year-old girl.

Tray Roland Eisenbraun, 18, faces charges of rape by forcible compulsion, a first-degree felony, and criminal use of a communication facility, a third-degree felony, after police said he traveled from Youngstown to Cranberry on May 13 to meet the girl, whom he met on the social media site Instagram.

According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Sgt. Matthew John Irvin, the teen thought she was going to a restaurant when Eisenbraun drove her to Cranberry Woods Drive. Instead, the affidavit states, he stopped in a large parking lot and climbed to the passenger seat and removed the victim's underwear.

“The victim stated to Eisenbraun that she did not want to do this and Eisenbraun told the victim that it would feel good and everything was OK,” the affidavit states. “The victim tried to push Eisenbraun off, but was unable to do so.”

At that time, Eisenbraun removed the rest of the victim's clothes and “forcefully” assaulted her, according to the affidavit.

“The victim began to cry and repeatedly pleaded with Eisenbraun to stop, that it was painful, and he refused,” Irvin's affidavit states.

Eisenbraun drove the victim to her house, according to police, and continued communicating with her through various means, including the social media application Snapchat. The two had a conversation on the application July 10, the affidavit states, in which Eisenbraun told the victim “I know you didn't (want to have sex) and I feel bad, I really do.”

“Idk (I don't know) if this will make u (sic) feel better or worse or indifferent, but I still kind of wish you would have been pregnant,” he added, according to the affidavit.

Irvin wrote that police confirmed Eisenbraun's whereabouts through pictures he had posted to Snapchat May 13. In one instance, he posted a picture of the location where he and the victim had met; another was an image of him sitting in his car with the teen.

“Exactly one hour after that, Eisenbraun posted another image that referenced him engaging in sexual intercourse with the victim and mentioned the victim by name,” the affidavit states.

Eisenbraun also faces misdemeanor charges of indecent exposure, harassment and open lewdness in Beaver County. In that incident, Eisenbraun is accused of placing a cell phone with its camera facing upward under an occupied bathroom stall in a women's gym locker room. According to police, the woman who was in the stall saw Eisenbraun touching himself in the locker room when she exited the stall.

Court records do not indicate if he is represented by an attorney in the Cranberry case. A call to Steven Valsamidis, who represents him in the Beaver County case, was not returned Friday. Eisenbraun remains in Butler County Prison in lieu of $150,000 bail.

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Alex Weidenhof

Alex graduated from Allegheny College in Meadville with a history degree in 2019 before starting at the Eagle. Shortly before starting with the paper, he held a 9-5 office job and discovered it really wasn't for him. He covers Evans City, Harmony and Seven Fields Boroughs along with Jackson and Lancaster Townships.